Saturday, September 27, 2008

Do you know what those little numbers stand for on the stickers of your fruits and vegetables? They actually are doing more than just telling the cashier how much to charge you for the food. They're giving you important clues about where the food came from, and more importantly whether it's organic, conventional, or has been genetically modified!

Know your PLU # facts so that you can be a conscious consumer. Knowledge is power!

North AmericaGeneral designation is as follows:

Organic produce has a five-digit number beginning with a 9. Organic bananas, for example, would be given the designation of 94011.

Conventional produce has a four-digit number beginning with a 3 or 4. Therefore, the number on conventionally grown bananas would be 4011. These products may have been sprayed with insecticides, herbicides, pesticides.

Genetically engineered produce also has a five-digit number on the label and begins with an 8. Again, the number on genetically altered bananas would be 84011.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Today I have been moved by Spirit to preach a little bit to y'all. This community is in need of a revival. And I'm here to tell you that you can do it. It's as simple as making 1 choice. Can I hear an amen?

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Today I went for my first colon hydrotherapy session, and I have to tell you, there is nothing to be afraid of, girlfriend! If you're thinking about having a colonic, watch some stuff on YouTube, Google it, and then give it a try, if you like.

Monday, September 22, 2008

I am back from my General Practice M.D. He poked and prodded around in my abdomen, and made funny faces when I would say "Ouch" in certain places. He said, "They tell you in medical school that the abdomen speaks Chinese. It's hard to tell what it's saying without a translator." So, I am having an ultrasound and Upper GI X-Ray on Friday morning.

He's also doing bloodwork, and actually suggested that I might have a FOOD ALLERGY! He was very supportive of the raw food diet, and told me to keep it up. My blood pressure was 118 over 70. My pulse was 95. My oxygen count was 99%. And I've lost 30 pounds since I started raw foods in April. So, by all practical purposes, I'm healthier than I have been in years!

I'm happy to be having some imaging done. The more I know about what's going on inside, the better equipped I am to heal. The area where the gallbladder is was very ouchy to touch. The doctor suggested that the running to the John was either gallbladder attack related or just a run of the mill stomach bug. I have had a gallbladder attack in the past, with very different symptoms, but I definitely wouldn't rule it out as a possibility. The tightness between my shoulder blades was identical, and that feeling of not being able to get comfortable all weekend was definitely there.

So, imaging and bloodwork coming up.

I also got an e-mail from Matt Monarch, suggesting that I keep that colonic appointment tomorrow. He said that when you're feeling bad is the most beneficial time to go. I put a call back into the hydrotherapist, and am waiting for her to confirm that the appointment time is still open.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

I've been replaced in the family photo today by a pumpkin dressed up like a pirate. I have been on the couch since 8 o'clock this morning, sick as a dog. Nausea, pain in my upper left abdomen, and let's just say I've read around 75 pages of The China Study (thank you, Angela!) in short 2 minute bursts from the toilet. No pun intended.

For the past few days I've been getting chills. And that spot in my upper left abdomen that always hurts when I eat something naughty has been aching, along with all of my joints. Today, the bathroom trips arrived. I'm going to go to the doctor in the morning to let him poke and prod my abdomen. When I root around in my fat-rolls, I swear I feel a bump about the size of my pinkie finger a few inches below my ribs on the left side.

Being completely clueless about human anatomy, I had to look up a diagram to see what was even ON the left side of my abdomen. Google Image Search University brought back this very informative illustration for ages 3+. Finally, a medical illustration I can understand!

I can't believe how much I know about website layers, widgets, and the anatomy of CSS, but how little I know about my own body. No wonder people are on auto-pilot concerning their health. I feel incredibly lucky to have stumbled into the world of raw food, and to be actively pursuing my body, nutrition, and wellness. If I'm not careful, I might actually learn something.

What is the most significant thing your raw food journey has taught you about your body? AND HOW IS YOUR DAY 52 GOING?No

Saturday, September 20, 2008

For those of you who follow me on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/darnlucky), you know that I had kind of a rough day today. The batteries on the dog's collars were obviously dead, and they both left for a little adventure. Beckett and I circled the neighborhood, and finally found them across the railroad tracks on a dead end road, lying in the middle of the street sunning themselves.

Meanwhile, my crack addicted brother stole a gun, traded it for drugs, then broke his leg and wound up in my backyard looking for a place to squat for the night. He's in my camper out back. I didn't have the chutzpah to argue with him, or deal with his addiction today. I'll have to kick his baby bird ass out of the nest in the morning.

I was sitting on the couch feeling sorry for myself, and an image of this mother that I saw earlier this year on Dr. Phil popped into my head. What the hell am I complaining about?

I've got raw chocolate cookies in the dehydrator, and had a lovely salad for lunch. Some days are better than others. But they're all pretty good days, aren't they?

Today I announce the winner of the Raw Fu Day 50 raw food delivery. Congratulations, T. T has also been transcribing all of the Raw Fu videos for our hearing impaired guests. So, I not only want to give her this Day 50 gift, but I also want to take donations to get T a blender!

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Beckett picked a bucket of apples from the tree in our backyard and asked me to make applesauce. When the applesauce turned out green (Um. The apples are green!), he turned up his nose and wouldn't eat it.

Monday, September 8, 2008

I love how my raw food lifestyle has launched me into trying all sorts of new food preparation. Today I am experimenting with different pickling flavors and combinations, using up some of the banana peppers from our small garden. Our garden this summer is basically only herbs and these peppers. But I'm already starting to plan for fall planting. I'm having so much fun. Becoming more healthy never tasted so good.

The jar I'm holding are marinating in cider vinegar, garlic, sea salt, dill, thyme, and parsley. The ones in the background are a sweet recipe that RSAgirl dug up for me, and is listed below.

Remove stems & seeds from the peppers and cuts them into strips or chunks. Place the vinegar, honey, shoyu, cumin, thyme, onion powder, cayenne and garlic in a quart jar or a similar glass container with a tight fitting lid and shake until the honey dissolves. Add the pepper strips to the jar. Close the lid securely and refrigerate. Flavors will develop in about 4 hours, but the pickled peppers can be kept up to several weeks in the refrigerator.

HOW IS YOUR DAY 37 GOING? Let's see some pictures of your garden bounty!

I'm obviously just not ready to change from a standard raw food diet to a low fat version. I know the first few days are supposed to be tough. But I find myself sliding down the rabbit hole, obsessing over food. Last night I got up in the middle of the night and binged on Frosted Flakes, potato chips, and Fig Newtons. When I got into an argument with Basil later in the day, I got in the car and was on my way to get a waffle cone of turtle ice cream from Bruester's. On the way to the ice cream shop, I broke down and cried. Hard, long sobbing full of shame and self loathing. This week has been a bitch.

I'm naturally a very reclusive person. I can stay in my own little office bubble for weeks on end, and not notice the seasons change or that I haven't spoken to anyone using my voice besides the dogs and my little family to the point that my throat gets dry and my voice cracks. Branching out in person has never been one of my strong points. Being around people I haven't known for years makes me feel vulnerable and shy. And it takes a lot out of me because I'm terribly out of practice.

Last weekend in Atlanta was wonderful! I met amazing Raw Fu Challengers, and actually hosted a slumber party. And I loved every minute of it, but it was emotionally hard for me. I couldn't fall back on my normal reclusive tendencies. I was being stretched out of my comfort zone. And Raw Spirit Festival is going to be the same way for me. Full of, you know, actual PEOPLE, who are living and breathing and laughing and smiling. The bandwidth gets a lot bigger when you're face to face.

My emotions have been topsy turvy, and all of my food related issues have been raging. I'm just not ready to go here with my diet. Right now, if I stay on 80-10-10, I'm going to fail. And it's not the protocol's fault. It's just that I'm not ready. I've got some baggage to deal with on the cellular emotional level, and I need to be able to put my raw diet on auto-pilot while I'm wading through the mess.

Today I encourage you to just go into the kitchen this weekend and play! Have fun! I'm making the coconut sesame dumplings from Everyday Raw. They'll either be great, or a disaster. Tune in tomorrow to find out.

Today I encourage you to just go into the kitchen this weekend and play! Have fun! I'm making the coconut sesame dumplings from Everyday Raw. They'll either be great, or a disaster. Tune in tomorrow to find out.